Honor and Blood

by James Galloway

  Jasana nuzzled him, patting him on the back of the neck. "Papa, who's the glowing lady in the magic?" she asked curiously.

  "What?" he asked, pushing her out.

  "There's a glowing lady living inside the magic. Didn't you know she was there?" He stared at her, completely in shock. That must have urged her to continue. "She was a really nice lady, too. She told me not to worry about you, that you'd be just fine, and she'd take care of you. She was really pretty, and she even knew my name! She was so nice to me! She told me that she was really happy that I was here, that you were with me, and she said she wanted to get to know me better. She said she would be waiting for us when we got to Suld. I know mama tells me not to be nice to strangers, but she knew my name and was very pretty and really nice and I could feel it through the magic that she loved me, so I thought it was alright to talk to her. Who was she?"

  Tarrin felt his mind turn over. The Goddess! He couldn't help but laugh. "That, my little cub, is someone that's going to be very involved with the rest of your life," he told her with a smile. He saw Jesmind's dangerous look, and thought it best to elaborate. But that could be dangerous, given Jasana's age and her openness. "Think of the glowing lady as the spirit of the Weave, kitten. She's a friend to all of us who can touch it," he said delicately, compromising Jasana's need to know with the need not to tell her too much.

  "Does she talk to you too?"

  "She's never done it quite like that before, but yes, I've talked to her," he replied. "Every Sorcerer has, in one way or another, even if they don't realize it." His stomach growled demandingly. "I'm really hungry, Jesmind. Is there anything around here to eat?"

  "I've got some rabbit stew simmering for you, my mate," she said with a smile. "I'll go fix you a bowl."

  "I'll go get it," Kimmie offered, standing up. "I think I can get a loaf of bread from the Rangers, too. Rabbit stew isn't the same without bread."

  "Make it two," he told her. "Make that three!" he called as she stepped out of the tent.

  "I'm sure she'll just bring in the kettle," Jesmind chuckled.

  "What's happened while I was asleep?" he asked her.

  "Well, the Rangers rounded up about three thousand naked humans out of Torrian," she said. "You should have seen them. It was almost funny, the way they were all red and trying to make clothes out of tree branches and leaves. The Rangers fanned out to all their bases and the outlying farms and homsteads and started finding clothes for them, and they've had a hard time finding food for them too. So they're breaking them up into groups, and they're going to take them to the other villages and towns, where they can get more help. They're all pretty intent on coming back and rebuilding, though, just as soon as they get some basic necessities. I can't blame them for that. This is their home, after all."

  "Well, it's good to know that they're going to be cared for," he sighed in relief. "Has anyone figured out what happened yet?"

  "Sathon knew, but he didn't tell anyone," Jesmind replied. "The humans think it's some kind of miracle from their god. They've been running around singing hymns and chanting all day."

  "That's as good an excuse as any," he agreed, his stomach growling again. "Where is that female?" he asked irritably.

  "Keep your pants on, my mate, she's coming," Jesmind chuckled. "Arren managed to pin me down and drag an explanation out of me. I told Arren what you said, that the Dals knew we were coming and knew our plan. I told him exactly what you said, that there were ten times as many troops here as Arren thought, and that you burned down the city to protect his men. He argued with me about it, until they went out into the ruins and saw all the bones. That was too much evidence for him to deny it, so he's not quite so mad at you now as he was this morning."

  "I'll make it up to him," Tarrin promised. "Arren is a good man, and he was very kind to me. And here I've gone and burned down his city."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "Well, I don't have time to build things back the way they were, so I'll just give him enough gold to rebuild the entire city, and leave plenty left over to get it started again."

  "You can do that?"

  "I'm a Sorcerer, Jesmind," he smiled. "Druids can Conjure gold, but a Sorcerer can Transmute any metal into gold. Didn't you know that?"

  "No, I didn't," she said frostily. "I thought Sorcerers could just make fire and air and other elemental things."

  "That's just one application," he said. "They don't do it often, because if you make too much gold, then it becomes less valuable. They also don't make it common knowledge, because people would be kidnapping Sorcerers to make gold for them. Few Sorcerers even know how it's done, to protect them from their own greed. But in an emergency, a Sorcerer can transmute enough metal to make him rich, if he knows how."

  "Is that how the Tower pays for everything?" she asked insightfully. "I mean, they don't really do anything. How do they pay for all the food and clothes and furniture?"

  "I really don't know how they do it, but they must have some kind of system," he admitted. "I never paid much attention to those kinds of things while I was there."

  "The kingdom of Sulasia pays for the Tower," Kimmie announced as she ducked back into the tent, carrying a large bowl of simmering, sweet-smelling stew and a large loaf of warm bread. "Sorry it took so long. I had to steal the bread from the Rangers," she grinned. "I'll go get the kettle. I figure you'll have that bowl empty by the time I get it back in here."

  "Where did you learn about that?" Tarrin asked, reaching for the bowl of stew insistently.

  "You read enough, you can learn all sorts of things, Tarrin," Kimmie replied, handing him the bowl. He nearly bit the spoon off trying to shovel the stew into his mouth, then threw it aside and starting eating the stew right from the bowl. "My, he is hungry, Jesmind," Kimmie giggled.

  "I'd say so," Jesmind agreed. "You'd better go get that kettle before he starts gnawing on one of us next. Cub, get down before he accidentally eats your hair," she ordered of Jasana, who giggled as she got down from his lap.

  Tarrin systematically emptied the entire kettle that was brought in, which had had enough in it to feed four humans, and he did it faster than a human could have eaten the first bowl of stew. The energy that food flushed into him made him tremendously better, better than another day of sleep could have given him. He stretched languidly after setting down the empty bowl, extending his claws and then letting them relax back into his fingers. "You have no idea how much better I feel," he sighed dreamily, patting Jasana on the back as she returned to his lap.

  "Well, now we'll have to figure out what to do for dinner," Kimmie grunted, looking at the empty kettle.

  "I can take care of that," Tarrin assured her. "I feel much stronger now, and I've got the energy to Conjure. I can Conjure whatever we need."

  "It's cheating, but I would like to eat tonight," Jesmind growled.

  "I'll make a big meal. We're leaving for Suld tomorrow."

  "So soon?"

  "There's nothing holding me here now, Jesmind," he replied. "I only stayed with the army to take Torrian. Since that's sorta not an issue anymore, I need to get to Suld. My original mission hasn't changed."

  "What mission is that?" Kimmie asked curiously.

  "I have the Book of Ages," he told her bluntly.

  Kimmie gasped, and literally jumped towards him. She knelt by him and took his paw between both of hers. "Oh, please let me go with you!" she asked in a wheedling tone. "That book is supposed to hold the history of the world in it! I have to read it, Tarrin! I just have to!"

  "You'll have to get in line," Tarrin told her. "We need it first. I'll bet that Thean's going to want to look at it, as well as just about every Sorcerer in the Tower. But they're not going to know about it."

  "Why is that?"

  "There's information in it that will lead us to the Firestaff. That's not information that I want to leave laying around for anyone to find."

  "Oh," she said, a bit crestfallen. "I guess you're right."


  "Don't get all pouty on me, Kimmie. I said I need it first. After I'm done with it, you and Thean can fight over it. I'll let you two read it, because I trust you. There are going to be some restrictions on it, but I'm sure it's nothing that you two can't handle."

  "What kind of restrictions?"

  "You'll see when we get there. I may be hurrying back because of the danger to Suld, but that's the important part." He flexed a paw, feeling his strength returning to him. "But the first thing I need to do is talk to Arren."

  "Why?"

  "There's a spy in his army," he replied with a steady stare. "Those Dals knew exactly what the plan was. They even set a fire to make the Were-kin outside think that I'd done my part of the plan. They had to have five thousand men at the very least garrisoned in the city. We would have been slaughtered if Arren's army attacked them."

  "A spy, you say?" Kimmie mused. "If that's so, how did he get the information to them? We moved faster than any messenger's horse."

  "Magic," he grunted. "There were Sorcerers working with the Dals in Torrian. There were men in ki'zadun uniforms too. I'll bet that our spy either is a magician or has a magical trinket that allows him to send messages." Thinking back to the battle made his eyes rise. "Ariana!" he gasped, remembering that she was wounded. "Is she alright?"

  Kimmie nodded as Jasana answered. "The winged lady? Sathon did magic on her and made her better. She's been coming over every once in a while to see if you were awake."

  "That's a relief," he sighed. "What time is it now?"

  "Just about sunset," Jesmind replied.

  "Alright then. Let me go talk to Arren, then we'll get some rest. I'd better go find Thean and reign him in. We'll be leaving before dawn."

  "Oh no you don't!" Jesmind said fiercely. "It's raining out there! There's no way I'm letting you out until I'm sure you're completely well. You may get sick!"

  "Jesmind, I'm fine. Really."

  "That's what they all say," she snapped.

  "If I'm strong enough to Conjure, then I'll be just fine taking a walk in the rain, my mate," he said in a reasonable tone.

  "Then you have a choice. You can either go see Arren and watch us all starve, or you can Conjure us something to eat and someone can make Arren come here. Those are your choices."

  He gave her a steady look. "And what's to stop me from doing both?" he asked in an ominous tone.

  "Me," she snarled, showing him her claws. "I'll put you right back on that bedroll if you don't obey me, my mate. The hard way."

  "I think she's serious, Tarrin," Kimmie chuckled.

  "You'll find out how serious I am if you try to walk out of here," she growled.

  "What happened to this choice I was supposed to have?"

  "I just made it," she told him flatly. "Now stop starving your daughter and make us something to eat. Kimmie can go find someone to go get Arren and bring him here. She should be back before she gets too wet."

  "This mating is getting more and more one-sided," Tarrin grunted, looking at his vehement mate. She certainly looked serious, and Tarrin wasn't in the mood to fight with Jesmind at the moment. That was something that took most of his energy and all of his attention, and his mind was on other things. He figured that it was the fact that he'd been so weak that made her so protective. Jesmind was anything if not predictable about certain things.

  "Think about how I feel," Kimmie chuckled. "I'm suddenly Jesmind's errand girl."

  "Would you rather me send Jasana?" Jesmind asked harshly.

  "I'll go, I'll go, don't get your tail in a knot," Kimmie said, holding up her paws. "Can I borrow a blanket or something? I hate getting wet."

  Reaching within, through the Cat, Tarrin came into contact with the All, and then Created for Kimmie a light woolen blue cloak, that happened to have been created to be completely waterproof. It appeared on the ground in front of her, and she reached down and picked it up, admiring it. "Very nice," she nodded, throwing it over her shoulders and locking the clasp. "Anything else you want me to do while I'm out?" she asked as she lifted the hood over her ears.

  "Bring Thean in so he can eat, I guess," Tarrin told her.

  "He shouldn't be too hard to find," Kimmie smiled. "I'll be back in a bit, then." She turned and ducked out of the tent, and Tarrin could see that it was raining pretty steadily out there, making the view a gray pall hanging before a stand of trees across an open field. Jesmind secured the tent flap after Kimmie left, then came over and sat beside him on the bedroll.

  "I'm, sorry, if I sounded too demanding," she said in a voice that was hardly contrite. "But I'm worried about you, that's all."

  "It's alright, Jesmind," he chuckled. "I'm still getting used to the idea that someone actually cares about how I feel and how I'm doing. I'm not used to that, not in the way you do it. I'm also not used to being bossed around," he smiled.

  "I didn't mean--"

  "Yes you did," he cut her off. "You're a bull-headed bossy little witch, and I happen to like that. Just not too much," he said with a wink.

  She seemed to realize that he was joking, and laughed. She put her paw on his shoulder, then leaned in and gave him a very delicate kiss. "If you're going to cheat, you may as well go for broke," she whispered in his ear. "I'm dying for some lobster, and some cherries, and some of those little fried pastries they make in Shacè."

  "Hypocrit," Tarrin teased. "I can do the lobster and the cherries, but I've never seen those pastries before, so I can't conjure them. But I can conjure up some uta, which is a pretty tasty Arakite pastry. I think you'll like it. They smother it in honey."

  "I'll give it a try. I've been dying for sweets for days."

  "You should have said something."

  "Sweets? Papa, you're going to make us sweets?" Jasana asked with bright eyes.

  "Not too much for you, cub. I don't want you bouncing all over the tent," he told her. "Sweets do that to a cub, you know. I'd like to sleep sometime tonight."

  "As if she wasn't energetic enough," Jesmind laughed.

  "I'll take what I can get," Jasana said with a huge smile, bouncing up and down on Tarrin's lap.

  "And what you can con out of us," Jesmind added with a grin, flicking the tip of Jasana's nose with a finger.

  "That's part of what I can get," Jasana told her mother easily, which made Tarrin laugh.

  Tarrin did in fact go for broke. He first Conjured a very large tent, more like a portable canvas gazebo than an actual tent, something large enough under which to place a table without enclosing it. Then he Conjured a large enough table for eight, benches, and then he went about getting the food. He filled the table with all sorts of foods, from Sulasian standards like mutton and beef to exotic dishes, like the lobsters Jesmind wanted, curried rice that was popular in Yar Arak, and a spicy soup called chinga that would burn the mouth that was also rather popular there. He also made a dish called anthari, something that Dolanna had made once, a dish native to her home of Sharadar, which consisted of strings of a strange bread-like substance she called pasta smothered in a rich sauce made from tomatos, which also had in it meat and various vegetables that accented the flavor. Tarrin had thought it to be rather grand, and he'd been thinking about making some of it for a while. It had become all the rage in Shacè, with their famous chefs actually travelling to Sharadar to learn the secrets of its making from the master chefs of that southern kingdom. He conjured such a great amount with two things in mind; to please his mate and his child and also to test to see how strong he was, to see how much he had recovered. He did get a little tired after conjuring the food, but it was a good measure of how much he had recovered. He could still whip up the dessert, and after a night of rest, he'd be just fine in the morning.

  Kimmie returned with Thean, Arren, and Sathon not long after he and his family started digging into his created feast. They all looked wildly at the gazebo-like tent, and the huge table loaded with foods of every description. Sathon chuckled when he saw the meal. "I see Tarrin's recovered," he remarked,
shaking the water off his cloak as they came under the roof. "He went and conjured up enough for fifteen men. Or eight Were-cats."

  "We can't help it if we eat so much, Sathon," Kimmie said mildly. "Blame it on our metabolisms."

  "I still can't figure out how you eat so much, but never so much as put on an ounce of fat," Sathon complained. "You're almost as bad as Faeries."

  "Not quite that bad," Thean laughed. "I take it we can help ourselves, Tarrin?"

  "Be my guest," he motioned at the food. "Hang your cloaks up over on that post and join in. Sathon, I thought you went with the others. Why are you still here?"

  "I started out with them, but only to get them going," he replied. "I needed to come back and help the Torrians. I just back a while ago."

  "Kimmie said you had something serious to tell me, Tarrin," Arren said, looking at the food as Thean and Kimmie hung up their cloaks, then sat down and started loading their plates. "What is that?"

  "Lobster," Jesmind replied, cracking its shell with her fingers, then using her claws to dig out the meat. "Go to Shacè sometime, and you'll see it. Kind of silly of them to love them so much, since they have to import them from Tykarthia and southern Ungardt. The lobsters only live in cold water."

  "I say, Tarrin, would a human be welcome at your table?" Arren asked speculatively. "Some of that smells wonderful. You'll have to explain what it is, though."

  "You're as welcome at my table as any of my friends, Duke Arren," he invited.

  Arren and Sathon hung up their cloaks and then joined in. Tarrin didn't notice that Arren went for the chinga soup first, and the man about looked ready to have a heart attack when he tasted it. He scrambled immediately for the water, draining the tankard set at his place on the table, then fanned his mouth with his hand. "By Karas' hammer, I've never tasted anything so hot!" he exclaimed.